— Boakai Says Macron Accepted Invitation to Visit Liberia
PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday, October 30th, hosted Liberian President Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr. and his delegation for a working lunch at the Élysée Palace, a meeting focused on deepening bilateral relations, restarting stalled projects and broadening cooperation on security and development.
In a statement after the talks, Boakai called the engagement “very productive” and said it centered on “strengthening Liberia–France relations and advancing our shared development goals.”
“Yesterday afternoon in Paris, at the invitation of my brother and friend, President Emmanuel Macron, I had a very productive meeting with him focused on strengthening Liberia–France relations and advancing our shared development goals,” Boakai said. “We discussed Liberia’s upcoming role on the UN Security Council, our commitment to inclusive growth—especially for women and persons with disabilities—and ways to deepen technical cooperation between our two nations.”
Boakai added that he invited Macron for a state visit to Monrovia. “I was also pleased to invite President Macron for a State Visit to Liberia, which he warmly accepted,” he said, though no date was announced. “Together, we are building stronger bridges of friendship, cooperation, and shared progress for the good of our people.”
Macron opened the lunch by congratulating Boakai on Liberia’s election to the United Nations Security Council and on the Liberian leader’s recent engagements in the United States, framing the Paris visit as a chance to tighten cooperation. Boakai thanked France for its hospitality and underscored Liberia’s priorities under his ARREST agenda—Agriculture, Roads, Rule of Law, Education, Sanitation and Tourism—while stressing the cross-cutting importance of health, energy and technology to drive inclusive growth.
At Macron’s request, the French Development Agency (AFD) briefed the delegation on ongoing and proposed projects. Both sides agreed to reactivate key infrastructure and agricultural initiatives that have stalled in recent years and to move them forward under the Boakai administration. The leaders also discussed stronger collaboration in agriculture, including support for forest-dependent communities and sustainable farming.
Liberia’s Finance and Development Planning Minister, Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, outlined current pressures in health, education, energy, and water and sanitation, citing recent aid cuts. He said the government has deployed more than US$115 million in emergency interventions to keep essential services running. The discussion also covered major infrastructure projects awaiting restart.
Regional peace and security featured prominently. With Liberia’s proximity to the Sahel and its role in the Mano River Union, both leaders emphasized tighter coordination on subregional stability and peace efforts.
Looking ahead, Boakai and Macron discussed the upcoming African Union–European Union summit in Angola. Liberia’s foreign minister, Sara Beysolow Nyanti, said Liberia is actively shaping the summit agenda on Women, Peace and Security. Macron welcomed Liberia’s leadership and cast the gathering as an opportunity to address development financing gaps across Africa and expand EU-supported initiatives.
The talks concluded with an agreement to broaden a Dec. 8 visit of a French mission to Monrovia—initially planned to train Liberia’s UN Security Council team at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs—to include a wider peace and security dialogue on border management and other priority areas of security cooperation.
